Google Apps Selected For Energy Dept. Lab

The Department of Energy (DOE) is the latest agency to leverage cloud computing for email and collaboration, with plans to migrate 5,000 users at its Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to Google Apps for Government.

The DOE awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to Unisys to build a secure, cloud-based environment it will manage for the project, according to Unisys. The contractor previously helped the General Services Administration (GSA)–which in July became the first federal agency to complete a transition to cloud-based email–move 17,000 users to Google Apps, said Unisys.

The contract has a 37-month base period valued at about $5 million, followed by seven one-year options. Potentially, the contract could be worth $10 million over 10 years, according to Unisys. Subcontractors on the project include Tempus Nova and CRI Advantage.

Once the transition to Google Apps is complete, Unisys will continue to provide maintenance and operations services for the cloud-based environment supporting the implementation, the company said.